Mammas are the most important part of any breeding program and I have been blessed to have some great Moms.  While I wouldn't even entertain the idea of breeding a girl that wasn't a great Mom or didn't have a great Mom, I  have had some fantastic Moms.

Momma Cass was one of my first great Moms.  I think of her often and especially at this time of the year. She couldn't wait for her puppies to get big enough to start taking them on little hunting trips around the ranch.  She never ran off and left them. And most importantly, she always brought everyone back in with her her. 

Cass was amazing to watch as she herded them from smell to smell, stopping to round up any stragglers.  I think one of the most amazing things I ever saw her do (now this isn't the most politically correct move from a human point of view - but it is vintage beagle) was bring little baby rabbits up from the woods and give them to her puppies.

She would gently drop the rabbit on the ground, punch it softly with her paw and make it squeek. Immediately the sound  grabbed the attention of her puppies.  They were curious and came over to see what Mom was up to.

Cass would  bump the little rabbit with her paw, making it hop along.   Then (somehow in dog talk) she encouraged every puppy to come up and smell it and bump it to make it jump or squeek.

Even though baby rabbit is one of the great delicacies in the animal world, Momma Cass never tried to consume the tasty morsel.  Needless to say, her puppies turn out to be "bang-up" rabbit dogs.

Momma Cass' life lesson: If you have kids that are gifted in a specific area, nuture their interest from an early age.